Some people pick up a guitar and learn to play the instrument pretty quickly. Others take a bit of time to get around. Then, there are those who just can’t seem to get the hang of finger placement to play the right chords. If you’re among the latter, there might be hope for you yet as far as playing the six-string is concerned. At least, that’s the hope that’s offered by the Rockdreamer GuitarBar.
Designed to mount over your guitar’s fretboard, the device offers a selection of buttons that you can press in place of pressing on the strings, allowing you to play a chord by simply pressing one or two buttons at a time. No more worrying about correct finger placement, putting enough force on the strings, or achy fingertips – just press the corresponding buttons for each chord and it will magically let you play the correct chord.
The Rockdreamer GuitarBar is a rectangular device with 11 buttons across its surface. Each one is labeled clearly, so you can quickly review what buttons you need to press at a glance. You mount it suing a pair of straps at the top of the guitar’s neck where it stays in place the whole time, allowing you to keep your fingers at one spot to make playing even easier. Will it let you play every chord? No. The design only supports 11 chords, namely A, C, D, E, F, G, Am, Bm, Dm, Em, and G7. However, given how most songs are played using the same basic set of chords and how chord substitutions can work, this should allow you to play plenty of songs all the same.
So how does it work? Apparently, when you press a button or a button combination on the device, it activates plastic studded arms that press down on the right frets to play the corresponding chord, allowing you to strum and hear the correct chord play immediately. It’s impressively clever and should make playing the guitar a much easier affair for practically any individual.
The Rockdreamer GuitarBar will still require some learning, of course, as some chords will require pressing a single button and some will require two. The E, A, D, and F chords, for instance, are done by pressing two buttons, while the G chord requires you to press just one. A minor, B minor, and D minor requires two buttons to play, while E minor can be played with just one single button pressed. However, with the relative simplicity of buttons compared to frets and the lack of painful pressure from pressing on strings, this definitely makes learning guitar a much easier affair.
It comes with a glossy aluminum faceplate and trumpet-style chrome buttons, so it’s a pretty nifty-looking device. The design is entirely mechanical, by the way, so there’s no need to charge anything or put in fresh batteries regularly. Will it make you a guitar virtuoso? Absolutely not, as you’ll still be limited as a guitarist with this thing. However, folks who’ve always wanted to play but just couldn’t figure the finger placements out finally have a viable way to dust out the practice amp and crank out some tunes.
The Rockdreamer GuitarBar is slated to launch in August.